Dynamics of radionuclides activity,radon exhalation rate of soil and assessment of radiological parameters in the coastal regions of Kerala,India

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - The activity concentration of natural radionucides such as 40K, 226Ra and 232Th and radon surface and mass exhalation rates of the soil were...     

Tuning Aqueous Supramolecular Polymerization by an Acid-Responsive Conformational Switch

Besides their widespread use in coordination chemistry, 2,2’-bipyridines are known for their ability to undergo cis–trans conformational changes in response to metal ions and acids, which has been primarily investigated at the molecular level. However, the exploitation of such conformational switching in self-assembly has remained unexplored. In this work, the use of 2,2’-bipyridines as acid-responsive conformational switches to tune supramolecular polymerization processes has been demonstrated. To achieve this goal, we have designed a bipyridine-based linear bolaamphiphile, 1 , that forms ordered supramolecular polymers in aqueous media through cooperative aromatic and hydrophobic interactions. Interestingly, addition of acid (TFA) induces the monoprotonation of the 2,2’-bipyridine moiety, leading to a switch in the molecular conformation from a linear (trans) to a V-shaped (cis) state. This increase in molecular distortion along with electrostatic repulsions of the positively charged bipyridine-H⁺ units attenuate the aggregation tendency and induce a transformation from long fibers to shorter thinner fibers. Our findings may contribute to opening up new directions in molecular switches and stimuli-responsive supramolecular materials.     

Preparation and characterization of nanosize nickel-substituted cobalt ferrites (Co1−xNixFe2O4)

Nanosize nickel-substituted cobalt ferrites were prepared using aerosol route and characterized by TEM, XRD, magnetic and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The particle size of as obtained samples was found to be ∼10 nm which increases upto ∼80 nm on annealing at 1200 °C. The unit cell parameter ‘a’ decreases linearly with the nickel concentration due to smaller ionic radius of nickel. The saturation magnetization for all the samples after annealing at 1200 °C lies in the range 47.6-84.5 emu/g. Room temperature Mössbauer spectra of as obtained samples exhibit a broad doublet, suggesting super paramagnetic nature of the sample. The broad doublet is further resolved into two doublets corresponding to the iron atoms residing at the surface and internal regions of the particle. The samples annealed at 1200 °C showed broad sextet, which is resolved into two sextets, corresponding to tetrahedrally and octahedrally coordinated Fe cations. Cation distribution calculated using XRD and Mössbauer data indicates a decrease in Fe³⁺(oct.)/Fe³⁺(tet.) ratio with increasing nickel concentration.     

Comment on “Effect of annealing temperature on structure, magnetic properties and optical characteristics in Zn0.97Cr0.03O nanoparticles” by Liu et al., [Appl. Surf. Sci. 256 (2010) 3559]

The authors of a recent paper (Appl. Surf. Sci. 256 (2010) 3559) studied the effect of annealing temperature on structural, magnetic and optical properties in Cr-doped zinc oxide (Zn_0.97Cr_0.03O) nanoparticles synthesized by sol-gel method. The authors have verified that Cr ions, in 3+ valence state, substitute the Zn ions in the ZnO lattice. They concluded that the ferromagnetism observed in the samples is an intrinsic property of the Cr-doped ZnO. However, we noticed an unusual point in this article. The Cr 2p XPS spectrum shown by them is against the general trend of the 2p XPS spectra of the transition metals. In this light, we re-measured the high-resolution 2p XPS spectrum of Cr for a 3% Cr-doped ZnO sample that is entirely different than theirs. The spectrum presented by them therefore demands proper interpretations or it might mislead the researchers in this developing field.     

Using path sampling to build better Markovian state models: predicting the folding rate and mechanism of a tryptophan zipper beta hairpin

We propose an efficient method for the prediction of protein folding rate constants and mechanisms. We use molecular dynamics simulation data to build Markovian state models (MSMs), discrete representations of the pathways sampled. Using these MSMs, we can quickly calculate the folding probability (P(fold)) and mean first passage time of all the sampled points. In addition, we provide techniques for evaluating these values under perturbed conditions without expensive recomputations. To demonstrate this method on a challenging system, we apply these techniques to a two-dimensional model energy landscape and the folding of a tryptophan zipper beta hairpin.     

An expedient protocol for conversion of olefins to α-bromo/iodoketones using IBX and NBS/NIS

A variety of olefins have been shown to undergo conversion to the corresponding α-bromo/iodoketones when reacted with NBS/NIS and IBX in DMSO at room temperature. While the reaction is found to occur rapidly with e-rich arylolefins leading to the corresponding haloketones in 65-95% yields in 0.3-3.0 h, those containing e-withdrawing groups are found to yield diketones concomitantly, such that the latter are the exclusive products over extended duration of the reactions.     

On the noniterative multiproduct multiperiod production planning method

Bahl and Zionts [H.C. Bahl, S. Zionts, A noniterative multiproduct multiperiod production planning method, Operations Research Letters 1 (1982) 219-221] formulated a problem for planning multiproduct multiperiod production on a single facility. They developed a column-minima noniterative method and claimed that it gave an optimal solution. We show that the claim is incorrect.     

Regioselective addition reactions at C-2 of 3,4-dihydropyrimidinones. Synthesis and evaluation of multifunctionalized tetrahydropyrimidines

Multifunctionalized tetrahydropyrimidines derivatives have been synthesized from Biginelli 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-thiones (DHPMs) efficiently. The transformation includes desulfurization of DHPMs with Raney-Ni and subsequent regioselective C-2 functionalization using a variety of C-nucleophiles with simultaneous activation with ethyl chloroformate. Functionalized pyrimidine derivatives containing bulky substituents at C-2 of the pyrimidine ring are cytostatic.     

Conformational control in a bipyridine linked π-conjugated oligomer: cation mediated helix unfolding and refolding

A chiral π-conjugated oligomer having alternate bipyridine and carbazole moieties connected through acetylinic bonds undergoes helical folding in chloroform-acetonitrile (40/60, v/v) as evident by fluorescence and circular dichroism changes. In the presence of transition metal cations such as Zn(2+) defolding of the helical conformation occurs. Upon decomplexation of the cation with EDTA, the helical conformation is regained.     

Validated ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of pramipexole in human plasma

A sensitive and high throughput ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS-MS) method has been developed for the determination of pramipexole, a dopamine agonist, in human plasma. Sample preparation involved liquid-liquid extraction of pramipexole and ranitidine as the internal standard (IS) in ethyl acetate from 100 μL human plasma. The chromatographic separation is achieved on a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) analytical column using an isocratic mobile phase, consisting of 10 mM ammonium formate (pH 7.50)-acetonitrile (15:85, v/v), at a flow-rate of 0.5 mL/min. The precursor → product ion transition for pramipexole (m/z 212.1 → 153.0) and IS (m/z 315.0 → 176.1) were monitored on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer, operating in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and positive ion mode. The method was validated over a wide dynamic concentration range of 20-4020 pg/mL. Matrix effect is assessed by post-column infusion experiment and the process efficiency were 91.9% and 85.7% for pramipexole and IS, respectively. The method is rugged and rapid with a total run time of 1.5 min and is applied to a bioequivalence study of 0.25 mg PPX tablet formulation in 30 healthy Indian male subjects under fasting condition.